A powerful coalition of 55 organizations, including professional associations, media groups, human rights advocates, trade unions, and technology companies, has issued a stern warning to the European Union about proposed policies that could severely compromise digital privacy and security.
The joint letter, addressed to EU Ministers, raises alarms about recommendations from the HLG that aim to expand law enforcement access to personal data. Critics argue these measures could enable mass surveillance and fundamentally weaken encryption protections.
"If the EU continues down this path of undermining encryption, it will become impossible for companies like Tuta Mail to operate within its borders," states Matthias Pfau, CEO of Tuta, a privacy-focused email provider. The company has taken a firm stance, indicating they would rather relocate their operations than compromise their quantum-safe encryption standards.
The timing of this letter is particularly relevant given recent cyber attacks on U.S. telecommunications providers by Chinese state-backed actors. While U.S. officials are increasingly advocating for end-to-end encrypted communication tools in response to these threats, the EU appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
The coalition emphasizes that encryption serves as the cornerstone of secure digital communication. Any attempt to weaken these protections through backdoors or other means would create systemic vulnerabilities that malicious actors could exploit, putting citizens, businesses, and governments at risk.
Privacy-focused companies are particularly concerned that if forced to compromise their encryption standards, they would have no choice but to leave the EU, potentially triggering an exodus of innovative technology firms from the region.
The message from the coalition is clear: strong encryption is not up for negotiation, and any policies that undermine it pose a direct threat to digital security and privacy rights.